Offering to the Seiryuu
by illleashya
Summary: My life was the same, day in and day out, for as long as I could remember. Until it wasn't, and suddenly I'm thrust into the arms of a man called the Blue Dragon. This is the story of how I came to belong to him and simultaneously be set free all at once. *WARNING* Story contains dark and heavy subject matter only suitable for mature audiences.
1. I'm Yours

Hey guys,

Don't worry, I'm not abandoning 'Emotions? What Are Those' just taking a quick break to get this idea out of my head. I was struggling a bit with the next chapter because it's the most important one, so I figured if I could get this story out of my system in the interim, that would be best!

So this is my new story, about Shin-Ah from Akatsuki no Yona. It was inspired by 'Heart of the Blue Dragon' by LenaSakamaki which I thoroughly fell in love with! Seriously, I hope she updates it soon 'cause I need to know what happens! This will follow my own OC named Aina in a slight AU before Shin-Ah meets the rest of the gang.

Please Enjoy!

***P.S. I have re-uploaded a newer version of this story, so to any returning readers there have been a few slight changes that have been made to accommodate my story better. For instance, Shin-ah's name. It will appear later on in the story as it felt a little too rushed with the way I originally wrote it. I hope you guys enjoy my alterations, happy reading!***

 ***Disclaimer***

 **I do not own Akatsuki no Yona and am just borrowing the characters for my own amusement**

 **Also, this story will deal with a lot of dark subject matter and I just want to warn anyone reading that there will be mention of human trafficking, rape, and other harsh topics. So please heed my warning!**

 **Chapter 1**

There were not many things I could remember beyond my arrival here some years ago. Besides glimpses of cloth, iron bars, tight rooms and too many faces that melted together into one terrifyingly vague monster. Though I do remember water. Lot's of crashing waves and roaring sea. Rain. But that felt like eons ago.

My life now, well it could be summed up into three different feelings; Numbness, brokenness and solitude.

And presently; cold. Lots and lots of blistering cold.

I was bound, my wrists clasped at my lower back with irritating rope. I wasn't panicking. No, I wouldn't do that. I'd learned early on during these voyages that struggling only resulted in pain, shouting and more pain. The other females I'd encountered didn't seem to understand this though, as they fought like hell to be freed and escape from this caravan. Why were they fighting so hard?

I suppose they had hope, hope for a better place; or maybe they had that better place before being here. I couldn't relate to those feelings. I had been passed along to more people than I could count. Used for one purpose or another until I ceased being a tool and quickly became a burden, a nuisance. But before I could let my thoughts consume me, a rogue heel was shoved violently into my gut. I sputtered a cough as the air forcefully left my body, my knees rose to meet my chest, assuming the fetal position so as to avoid any further injury.

"Let me out of here you mongrels! Someone, help me, please!" the desperate plea was met with silence, the clopping of the horses hooves and the jostling of the wagon as we bounded along some path to some place. I wheezed in attempts to gain the oxygen back into my lungs, coughing to relieve some of the discomfort. "Shut the fuck up, wench!" came the coarse reply.

I wasn't much concerned with the destination. My biggest concern was that this transaction didn't seem to be like the others. Usually I was simply carted off to the next family who needed a hand to be had around the house or out in the fields. I was a laborer of sorts I suppose, though I knew deep down that I was a slave. There was no freedom of choice in this life.

This time though, there was mention of me being of age now. I knew that I was around sixteen years old and had had my first bleeding roughly six months prior to this trip. That signified womanhood, or so I was told. At the time I wasn't quite aware of what that meant. It had been a big deal to the people in charge of me at the time, but I had just been afraid of dying before an older, frail looking woman soothed my worries away. She was kind…I only wished I could remember her face.

Unfortunately, I wasn't appeased for long. With this new development came others. The blossoming of my chest and curves appearing where previously none showed. This caused a bustling of excitement, murmurings of big sums and large profit, they made mentions of how my beauty would sell for a high price. I didn't like the abundance of attention, it was beat into my nature to maintain a low profile. Always blending in, a whispering ghost that never stood out so to speak.

I liked it that way; that made things safe.

So you could imagine how this was very displeasing to hear. Change resulted in more change; another thing I wasn't fond of. As I came to learn, womanhood resulted in a different type of use I was to be sold for, I had heard the other girls whispering about it in my last holding place. I knew of the sins of the flesh now, how some of the captives were sold for their beauty and the uses that their body could provide men. The idea was so foreign and while I knew enough, the notion was still very vague. Some of the women were compliant, even earning some shares of the profit for their willingness.

Though, others were not so willing.

I tended not to see those certain females after they left, I also didn't assume that they had escaped either. I was naive to some things I suppose, but I knew there was no escape from this other than death.

I would be bought and sold for the rest of my life. It was all I had known for as long as I could remember anyhow. I was accustomed to this life, obedience had been instilled in me since childhood, which thankfully resulted in a less violent upbringing. If there was one thing I could be thankful for, it would be that. Sad, isn't it?

Suddenly our motions ceased, the abrupt halt causing me to roll over uncomfortably onto my front. My face forced into the rough splintering wood and sparse stray pieces of hay poked into the side of my cheek. Ouch. My violent companion next to me seemed to have her bearings a little better than I, she was sat upright. While she had her knees bent and feet firmly planted so she didn't sway with the forward momentum. I wished I had thought of that.

Before I could do anything about my predicament, the tarp shrouding us in darkness was ripped away, leaving us exposed to the harsh rays of the sun. I squinted my eyes and angled my face further into the planks beneath me to escape the intense light descending upon us, trying to ignore the harsh poking on the side of my face. I wasn't left to suffer long. All at once I was grabbed by my ropes and hauled to a standing position beside the man who was piloting the wagon.

"All right, runt, this is your stop," he forced out gruffly. He was behind me, ridding me of the uncomfortable restraints that kept my arms in place. And then blissfully, I had full use of my arms at last. I stretched them out gingerly, testing the stiffness they may have acquired during the long venture. I inwardly let out a sigh of relief, unwilling to express my previous discomfort to the man, let alone any form of expression. _Stoic is safe. Blank is best._

Words to live by.

He didn't waste time eyeing me as he did the other woman, he knew that I wouldn't run. Just as I finished stretching the last of my muscles, his large hand came down on my shoulder, urging me forward to what I now noticed was the mouth of some cave. He ushers me along side him, my eyes eagerly taking in the snowy mountainside, wind whipping the long strands of my platinum hair. After a few stumbling steps, I finally regain my ability to walk and we quickly strode into an open area within the cave. There are wooden beams, seemingly offering support to the manmade tunnel we trekked through. It wasn't terribly long, I didn't have enough time to fully take in the details of the place itself before I was startled by movement on all sides.

Suddenly we are smothered by people in masks, whispering and completely focused on me as they create a semi-circle around us.

My nerves are settling in my bones, and it's only now that the reality of the situation is dawning on me. These people are buying me, and they are nothing like the people I've been with before them. I cower slightly behind my seller, knowing full well he will offer no support or protection, but his body does a good job of physically hiding me from the strangers' gaze.

 _Stay calm and collected. Don't show fear_ , I chide to myself.

"This is the girl, where's the payment." He shoves me out from my hiding place behind him and sticks his hand out sharply as if perturbed by the fact that he even had to ask for the coins. I try my best to keep the grimace from painting across my face as I'm left defenseless to their scrutiny. One of the large group staggers forward, a large sack is then thrust out into his awaiting palm, the metal pieces clanging together beneath the material and he barely even spares me a glance before tossing me to the wolves. _Figuratively, maybe._

I try to make eye contact but not being able to see any of their faces is making me kind of queasy and unnerved, so I stick to keeping my stare trained on the ground. _Probably for the best._ The one closest to me, who had payed the man, steps closer making my breath hitch in my throat. I still, my body freezing, wondering how things will progress from here. _Is he going to hit me?_

A hand juts out, my body automatically flinching before it grasps onto my chin, forcing my face up. I gasp at the unexpected contact, jarred at the uncivilized actions of these people. They haven't spoken a single word, not even to give me an order. I hear the alarm bells going off in my head, my instincts warning me of the stark contrast of this situation compared to all the rest. _I need to be wary._

Twisting my head from side to side, the person observes me for a few moments, and all I can do is stare back into the shadowed eyes of their mask. _Who knew wearing a mask could make a person appear so soulless and cold?_ They take in the pale blonde locks that fall into my face, straying from the rest that is gathered at the back of my head before flowing gently to my butt. The ethereal muted blue eyes that nearly appeared silver, I knew that I was somewhat of an anomaly in these lands. It was nearly unheard of to have such a pale likeness, some thought me to be a ghost. _If only that were true…_

I take this brief moment myself to take in the person before me, they have similar garb to what I've seen others wearing across the nations. Though the dark colors and draping fabric did little to allude to the gender of the person. As I took a quick glance I noticed I couldn't really tell any of them apart from one another.

They were so, **similar.**

It instilled a wariness in me, the alien quality of these people, there was no individuality amongst them.

There is a slight hum that comes from their chest, which draws my attention back to my holder, a noise of approval maybe? I can only hope, because if I am at all displeasing to them, my fate rests solely in their hands. Whatever the case, the brusque noise indicates that the person before me is a man. He drops my face at last, before shoving a mask into my chest. I grasp it between my fingers, using the back of my hand to gently rub the spot that he assaulted. It's sure to bruise. I study the object held in my palms, noting it appears to be made of wood, or some other smooth, light material. It is well carved, resembling that of an animal's skull somewhat. _How interesting…_

"You are to put on this mask and make your way down a series of tunnels. You will be our offering to _him_." His voice is brisk as it draws my attention back to him. And it takes me a moment to get over the fact that the man even spoke, before his seem words register.

 _Offering? What could that possibly mean…_

"I don't—" before I can even finish my question, the man abruptly turns on his heel and stalks away, parting the crowd easily with his presence.

"No questions, do as you're told, girl."

He's gone before I can even make any sound of consent, and then I'm being flanked on either side by two other people in the crowd. I'm in somewhat of shock, glancing rapidly between the two newer arrivals as I try to gather the situation at hand. Their fingers curl onto my elbows like a tight vice, towing me forward in the same direction that the man left in. _Where are they taking me?_

As I am being led, I make note of the many archways and different areas within this cave, it's like a labyrinth. Some openings closed off with draping cloths, others open and lit dimly with torches. Though one thing that strikes me as strange, there is no signs of a home. It's as if this place were completely uninhabited. _Where do these people sleep?_ If I wasn't already introduced to the group that resided here, I may have thought this place was rightfully abandoned. As we venture further though, the vague light dissipates into nothing, setting my nerves even further on edge. Before long I can only barely make out a very dark hole in the wall of endless rock, leading down into an abyss of black nothingness. Dread sets in deep within my bones.

 _This doesn't look good._

I'm frightened now. Not knowing what exactly it is I am here for, my body's instincts are prickling at my skin, telling me of the danger I'm suddenly in. _What does it mean to be an offering?_ The panic is seeping in, my limbs reacting to fight or flight mode. But before I can pick one, my heels dig into the dirt of the ground to prevent my fall as I'm shoved forward by my handlers. My sense of balance is thrown off kilter and next thing I know is I'm crashing to the dirt on my hands a knees. The mask clatters to the floor beside me. _So much for saving my self from the fall…_

I let out a quiet hiss as I register the feeling of a rock that scraped against my palm upon impact. _Ow._

As I attempt to gather my wits, I hear a loud rumbling at my back, more panic flushing my body as I whip my head behind me. A giant boulder is being pushed to seal my only escape route, my limbs scramble to get underneath me and I nearly hurl myself at the large rock just as it is set into place.

And then I'm drowning in the darkness.

"Put on the mask!" comes the rough voice on the other side of the stone, I barely catch the words before I glance at the area I know the mask tumbled to beside my feet. I bend down, feeling somewhat aimlessly in the darkness for it before finally grasping the thing and turning it over in my palms. I sheath my face with the foreign material, taking the delicate silk strands at the sides and tying them snuggly at the back of my blonde tresses, the movement causing the beads braided into my hair to clank against the side of the mask. I wonder for a moment why I bothered to listen. But then I think back on how that is the only thing these people made a point to tell me. There has to be a reason for that.

Once I'm masked and my crystalline eyes are disguised along with the upper half of my face, I set forth to explore further into the cave. It's my only option, and the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure if I really mind walking to my death. My will for life is purely instinctual at this point as I find it hard to name anything actually worth living for. _How pitiful._

Being blind, is quite a foreign sensation. I've of course been blindfolded before, having my sight taken away wasn't such a shock. But the idea of forging on sightless was a different feeling entirely.

My feet are hesitant, touch fueling my steps as I feel around for the ground and let them lead me forward. My hands glided roughly against the wall nearest to my right. The abrasive feeling was irritating, but necessary for me to get my bearings. A jingling sound captures my interest, my ears quickly latching onto the minuscule sound amongst the heavy silence. It sounds a bit far off, but the sound echos through the cavernous area so there's no way for me to solidly pinpoint where it's coming from. I pause my journey, considering my options, which are quite limited. I can either keep walking blindly or I can wait and see what befalls me where I stand.

I chose the former as I have never had the patience for waiting.

I make it a ways, straight or turning, I can't much tell my direction. When suddenly there is something snaking up the inside of my leg, it makes its way under my cloak and I let out a small yelp of surprise at the intruder. _W-what is this…_ Feeling it scurrying underneath the skirt of my dress as it careens itself on my skin under my bust before making its way up to my neck. The soft fur of a tail lends itself to be known as a squirrel, as does the happy chittering in my ear as the creature nuzzles itself against my cheek. I'm curious as to why I'm not more opposed to the small animal's affections, but quickly dispel that thought and welcome my new companion. _It's nice to not feel so alone right now._

Though I'm truly not alone anymore I realize, the jingling from earlier is directly before me now. It makes me doubly aware of the presence standing toe to toe with me. I feel the breath of the person disturbing the wispy hairs that lay against my forehead, I look up through the mask on my face only to be met with the heavy gaze of another mask. My sight is vague but I can see this one is slightly more intimidating looking than the others, with the horns adorned on either side. It's strange, I can't see eyes but it's as if a weight has been anchored to this person's stare. Whereas I got a soulless feeling from the other masked people acting more as a void, this one is burning with intensity, not allowing its presence to be ignored. I swallow quietly, or try to, it turns out to be more of an audible gulp unfortunately.

My eyes strain to take in more details of the man before me, the gender of them glaringly obvious with their intimidating posture and hulking stature over me. I crane my neck a bit more, catching the stray locks of blue hair, underneath a fur pelt covering the strangers head. His jaw is taut and angular, his lips curling into a slight frown beneath the edge of the mask. It's a lean but tall man I gather, as I inspect the rest of him at his place in front of me. _Where did he come from?_

His clothes appear to be those of a warrior, differing a bit from the rest of the people within this mountain surprisingly. A warm looking cloak resting over loosely flowing fabric, his forearms wrapped before tapering into gloves. I notice one of his gloved hands reaching to his back, but disappearing beyond what little my eyes can make out in the dark shadows.

My eyes may be adjusting slightly, but it's a slow process. However, I don't miss when the man abruptly leans into my face, snatching the breath from my lungs at his close proximity. I feel like I should be beyond scared of this male, and yet I am only slightly wary. I haven't ever had someone so close to me before, but his presence doesn't feel hostile, only curious. _Wow, I can feel his breath on my cheeks…What a strange feeling._ I feel my heartbeat pick up it's pace beneath my chest.

"Hello," I begin meekly, not sure how to address this man or what it is that I should even say. I think my words must startle him, because he quickly creates space between our bodies, almost jumping away from me as if he didn't think I was real. He's cloaked in shadow now and I urge my eyes to see more into the darkness so I can make out his figure.

"Uh…" I begin, before being cut off by the swift attachment of his warm palm to my own. _Eh?_ His hand completely encasing my tiny one, rough fingers brushing the delicate skin of my knuckles before he starts pulling me in the direction that I came from. _Where is he taking me?_ I follow after him, not having much of an option as he guides my body along with his. I'm soon met with the somewhat familiar rock that the sealed entrance. I am surprised he walked so sure footed, before realizing he must live in this darkness. This leads me to the conclusion that he must be the one I was trapped in here for. _This man…_

I'm broken from my realization as he gestures to the blocked opening. I am confused, before I deduce that he wants me to leave the way I came. I can't help but think how absurd it is that I would rather be here with this strange man rather than those intimidating villagers. I shake my head at him is silent answer before elaborating.

"I'm supposed to be here," I offer simply, before continuing when I'm met with silence, "I am yours." He must not have known of the purchase the people made on his behalf. It dawns on me very quickly and all at once that I am here to please this man as a woman, not just as a servant as I would in the past. My breathing picks up an erratic pace matching that of my heart as my imagination takes off on its own tangent, imagining all the things this man will do to my untouched body.

"Mine?" the quiet voice disturbs my mind's reeling thoughts almost immediately as I register his confusion. I'm confused myself, unsure of why this man doesn't realize why it is that I am here. _Could it be that he doesn't know what that means?_

"Yes, I'm Aina and I belong to you now, you may do whatever you please to me." I bow a bit, as I was told I should do in the presence of any master, but also to hide my unease at the situation. I could have lied, but I'm not sure that would have changed the situation from what it already was.

I was at this man's mercy.


	2. Like The Moon

Hey guys,

Back with the second chapter and I have to say I like where this is going, I mostly wrote the first chapter as a prompt to get my words flowing again, but I found that I really like this idea.

I think this will continue to be in my OC's point of view since Shin-ah is such a mysteriously pure character (so different from the characters I'm used to writing) and I think I would just cheapen him if I tried to write through his eyes. Maybe I'll have little excerpts here and there if I believe it will add to the storyline but I'm undecided.

By the way, thank you so much LenaSakamaki for reviewing this story! It means so much to hear your thoughts since this was inspired by you!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and feel free to let me know what you think in a review!

***Edit: So this chapter is quite different from its original version; I scratched out Aina finding Shin-ah's name so quickly. I think she needs more time to get to know him before she comes to that conclusion, so instead she finds a nickname of sorts, 'Meilė' (pronounced My-el). I will not reveal its meaning because just as her name does, this one draws back to her ambiguous past.***

 **Chapter 2**

I was currently sat on the ground, my back propped against the stone of the cave walls, just staring. I was somewhat at a loss for words at the moment. _What in the world is happening?_ My eyes had adjusted more to the dingy darkness, so I could make out that we were in a wider section of the series of tunnels, maybe it could pass for a room, though I couldn't be sure. The man had led me here, his grip gentle and warm against my own hand, it was almost soothing. I could hear the tinkling of his bells as he walked, bells that I know knew swept down from his mask. The steady chime was kind of lulling, it calmed me somehow.

We hadn't walked terribly long before arriving in this space. It seemed that this is where he spent most of his time, or so I would guess. That was mostly presumed because of the items tucked neatly away beside me, they appeared to be clothes, some type of fabric at the very least. Also because of his sure footed steps on our way here, as though he could have guided me in his sleep. _Unless he has abnormal night vision._ But, I couldn't be sure that he wasn't just that overly familiar with the entirety of this place. The rest of the space itself appeared mostly empty, a small pit was nestled in the middle of the area, though I wasn't completely sure of it's purpose. Mostly I was just surrounded by rock and dirt, some stalactites jutting ominously from the roof of the cave. _That's kind of scary…_

My gaze was currently stuck to the man in question though. I could see him seated across from me, against the opposite wall, not encroaching on my personal space whatsoever. It was surprising. Disconcerting as well.

I would have assumed he would have pounced the moment he got me in his chambers. _I thought men were wild sex craved fiends? That's what that one girl said…_ Obviously I didn't know enough of how these situations worked; Which I didn't, sexual exploits were only learned of by me through murmurings of the walls from place to place, any first hand experience was nonexistent, thankfully. Though, the more I observed him, the more I noticed that he was as far as he could possibly be from me. Not respectfully so, but maybe out of fear? _I'm not that scary looking, though…am I?_ Now that I really considered it though, he seemed completely ignorant of the meaning of our situation. _So, maybe he was just being cautious?_

I observed his frame, taking in his stiff posture, his bowed head. His masked face. That had reminded me that I still wore my own mask. I grasped the material with my hand experimentally. I observed him, noting that he still wouldn't glance at me, so I figured the mask may not have been necessary since he wouldn't even look at me. The villagers had urged me quite sternly to wear it, but I was still unaware of its purpose. _What a pointless task, after all._ Without another thought, I disentangled the object from my face before lowering it down onto the ground beside me, gently. Or so I tried.

I was trying to do it as subtly as possible so as to not accidentally gain his attention, but since it's so absurdly quiet in here, what should have been a soft clank of the material meeting the floor, instead echoed through the vast empty space. I cringed as I heard the sound dissipate down the various routes of this cave. _Maybe he didn't hear it?_

His head immediately latched onto my activity, I could feel his gaze piercing me through the slots of his mask. But it didn't feel hostile, or even upset, just curious. _I wonder if he's always like that._

"…Sorry," I squeaked out lamely, unconsciously blushing at the intense focus on me. Feeling strange as my meek voice rang out into the heavy silence, _why was he still so far away?_ His head tilted, almost adorably so. Like he couldn't understand me, though I knew he could. He had spoken before, however briefly it may have been. Now I felt uncomfortable, his interest was fused onto me and unwavering. It didn't make me feel afraid or gross, just…self conscious? _Was there something wrong with my face?_

I wanted to know what he was thinking, why he was studying my face so intently? Even through the mask I could tell his eyes were glued to the newly revealed features. It made me want to close my eyes and shy away. Some people thought my eyes were beautiful, but others were very scared of them. They were eerie looking, almost dead because of the extremely light coloring. If they didn't glitter so vibrantly I'm sure more people would mistake me for a member of the living dead.

I could tell the moment his eyes met my own, and that was particularly because of the parting of his lips, which similarly drew my eyes to his mouth. I appraised them, noting the subtle fullness and pleasant shape, but then I realized I was quite obviously staring and quickly averted my gaze. I justified my actions in my mind with the mere fact that his mouth was the only feature of his face I could see. _Yes, that's it—moving on._

He was still centered on my irises and it irked me how curious I was about his observations of me. _Did he find me appealing?_ That was the sole purpose I was sent here for after all, right? To please him. He clearly didn't know that though, or so it seemed at least. This made me all the more curious as to what it was that he did know, or who he was exactly. I ventured into unknown waters, testing them skeptically, "So, what is your name?" I question hesitantly.

 _Maybe that was a bad idea…I don't know this man, it's beyond my place for me to question a master so boldly._ I can't help but scold myself, I knew better. I was acting much too casual.

When my inquiry isn't met with any sort of backlash, I take my first deep breath and wait for his response. It takes a while, almost as if he wasn't expecting such a commonplace question. Or for me to even speak to him maybe, I wasn't really sure. Eventually, in a very low voice he utters, "Blue Dragon."

My head cocked to the side, trying to decipher whether or not he was serious in his answer. When I got no indication of a joke being had, I balked. I wondered briefly if it was a self imposed identity or if that is what the villagers referred to him as. _What an odd name…_ It had me wishing the villagers gave me even the slightest information on the man presumed to be my master. I didn't want to call him master though, even if that's what he was, which is why I was disappointed to be met with something else. I don't think I could address him as 'Blue Dragon.'

Thinking it over, I shook my head softly. _No, definitely not._

The more I thought of that as a name the more confused I grew, as I considered that more of a title, maybe a nickname depending on what context it was used in. So feeling a bit of confidence after receiving somewhat of an answer, I felt a little less trepidatious when asking, "Wouldn't that be more of a nickname?" My courage quickly whooshed out from me when I realized how forward and informal I was speaking, cringing at the possible backlash.

 _Smart Aina, just keep pushing your luck!_

Though I was met with none, thankfully. Quite a bit of tension finally left my body at this, and I patiently waited to see if he would grace me with a reply. He did and I found that I rather liked the timbre of his voice. It was low, yet soft and smooth. _What am I even saying…_

"…I have no name," his tone was sad and it made my heart clench, I couldn't imagine not having an identity like that. I was told my own name was given to me because of my haunting eyes, which I felt torn about. Yet, it was the only thing anchoring me to my origin; my past life of which I had zero recollection. I knew that was what separated me from others at the very least, and that distinction gave me meaning. To not have that—it hurts me to think about his position. _Poor man._

I immediately want to remedy the situation and it scares me how much I want to rally for this man I know nothing about. There is just something about him, I sense something I can't quite grasp, but it feels along the line of a kindred spirit. That possibly we are more similar than I know. Quite a bold assumption, I know.

"Maybe you could choose your own name," I offer lamely, he didn't seem too convinced either. _Yeah, that wasn't the best thing to say._ The straight line of his mouth curved down just the slightest bit, so I hurried to think of something else. My brain was short circuiting under the pressure, and soon I huffed a sigh when no options presented themselves.

 _I should just give him a name._

That thought stuck quite stubbornly to the forefront of my brain, shoving any other possibilities out of the way. I cringed at the prospect of it. I didn't know anything about this man besides he was known as the 'Blue Dragon,' whatever that meant. Maybe I could ask him some questions and come to a conclusion then. He didn't seem opposed to my prying, if only a little shy…

"So, um…" I hesitated, wondering where I should start with this interrogation because that's sure to be how it will appear. "How old are you?" the question was irrelevant to my objective and only posed to satiate my curiosity, I inwardly scolded myself for starting this mission on the completely wrong track. _Where is this disconnect from my brain to my mouth happening? It's like I have word vomit…_ He didn't appear to react much if at all to my question, his face returning to the stoicism I've marked as his default expression.

"Eighteen," is all he gives and I quickly deduce that he's not the type to blabber on about nonsense. Or he could just be unused to conversation, I do assume him to be all alone here. _Or maybe he just doesn't like you…_ His answer finally registers and I try to hold back my surprise.

I had thought him to be a man of at least twenty, but he was only two years older than I. Maybe I should stop referring to him as a man? But the word boy doesn't fit his appearance at all. My head spins a little at the revelation, but I gather my wits and continue.

"Oh, I see. I'm sixteen myself," why I felt the need to offer this information when he hadn't asked is beyond my comprehension but I try not to dwell on it. "What kind of things do you like?" I pat myself on the back for posing a question actually useful to my agenda, though I'm startled out of my inner musings when my companion returns.

The little squirrel scurries up the length of my arm, perching itself on my shoulder, cheeks nearly bursting with the amount of food stored in them. I giggle a bit at the funny sight, moving my finger forward to stroke its petite head affectionately. _What a cutie…_ It chitters back at me in happiness and a smile immediately graces my face at the sheer cuteness.

"Ao."

His voice shocks me a bit, my focus turning back to him and it takes a moment for me to realize he was answering my question. I instantly wonder who Ao is and where they are, so I voice these concerns.

He doesn't answer with words, just staring toward me and I'm embarrassed to say it took me a while to figure out that he was looking at the visitor on my shoulder. _He really doesn't talk much, does he?_ Though I should have realized that at the mention of the animal's name, they quickly bound off of my body and ate up the distance between us before slithering up his instead, nuzzling his jaw appreciatively.

My face must look somewhat confused or unsure, as he elaborates briefly without having to be prompted, which is a surprise in and of itself. "She's my friend." It's a simple response and his voice holds an affection that has a strange effect on me. Hearing him talk in that tone, so pleased and sweet, gives me a warm feeling inside my chest. So it's a female squirrel, why that makes the situation just that much cuter is beyond me but it does. _What an adorable duo._

I don't realize until this moment that I've been smiling like an idiot at his words, so I quickly wipe a hand over my face to hide my discomfort and prod him gently for more. "Anything else?" My soft query instigates another intense gaze from him which has me shrinking a bit, wondering if I pushed too much. I don't really know him after all.

I soon realize that he's just observing me once again, similar to the way he had when I first removed my mask. _I wonder what it is he's focusing on?_ But before I question it, he's speaking.

"I like your eyes."

Heat blooms along my face and neck, my cheeks surely turning a bright cherry color at his words. He said it so simply, like it was a fact and not his attempt to compliment me. _How embarrassing!_ Whatever it was, got my blood pumping fast to my heart and I could feel the thumping beneath my breastbone. The sudden urge to know what his eyes looked like plagued me, I hadn't given much thought to why he hides his face like the others but now the thought is arresting. _I want to see…_ Focusing back on the situation at hand was probably for the best, lest I do something completely embarrassing like ask for him to remove his mask. I couldn't meet his eyes and I was afraid I would choke on the words coming out of my throat, but I forced them out regardless.

"R-really?" I cringed as my voice sputtered and the pitch was higher than my usual tone, though it didn't seem like he took notice of my internal struggle. _Thank goodness…_

"…Like the moon," he offered, and I completely froze. He offered these intense opinions so effortlessly and without care, like he didn't know how they would affect my fragile stability. _Do you not know how your words are affecting me? You're going to give me a heart attack!_ Though I suppose he probably didn't and I was taking this all way too seriously, but I had never heard anyone compare my eyes to the moon. It seemed like such a beautiful thing, bright and sparkling in the night. So for him to say such a thing…it made butterflies flutter intensely in my stomach. A feeling in which I was not privy to, I had heard some of the other females speak of such things along with other frilly feelings, all relating to attraction. That caused me to blanch. _What a dangerous thought._ I quickly skirted around that and fought to think of something to say in return.

"O-oh, yeah. So, you like the moon as well then?" I breathed a sigh of relief as he nodded and it seemed the crisis was averted. It was a pretty swift save on my part, and for that I was grateful for at least some improvising skills.

Something occurred to me after this, out of all the things to speak of that he liked, he named the moon. I wondered about its significance to him, whether it was purely based on its beauty or if it went deeper. Personally it made me think of his place here, spent in what I can only assume is never ending darkness; _Did he wish to leave? Did he enjoy the moon because it illuminates the blackness?_ The importance was hard to grasp, but I knew it held meaning regardless.

Meaning.

The thought made me realize I couldn't impose such an important thing on a man I knew hardly anything about. If I was going to find a name for my owner, I was going to be sure about it in every sense. It was the least I could do. I vowed to myself to learn more, to delve deeper so that I may give this man an identity to call his own.

I needed some way to address him in the meantime though, how was I going to figure that out? As I gazed at him, a word suddenly whispered itself into being inside my mind. _Meilė._

Meilė?

I had no idea what it meant, but it lingered stubbornly in my thoughts. Why wouldn't this word leave my thoughts, why was I thinking about it now of all times? I couldn't figure out its place in this conversation. I wanted to test the word on my tongue. It felt so familiar for some reason that I couldn't grasp. _Where did it come from?_

"Meilė," I uttered boldly, I should have anticipated he would turn at the sudden sound of my voice, giving me his attention immediately. He was very attentive that way, picking up the smallest of sounds or movement and honing in on it. I found myself liking this about him. I could feel the question ringing out through his posture, waiting for me to explain my statement.

How could I explain, though? I couldn't help myself from feeling a draw to this word, as my lips curled around its letters… _it felt, right._ I met his gaze, thinking of the term in reference to this stranger in front of me. I wanted to attach this word to him, the feeling was instinctual I suppose. It was an urge I just couldn't seem to quell. The word reverberated inside my head, echoing its importance that was completely lost on me, prodding at memories I couldn't reach. But I could tell it was just that; Important.

I could still feel his interest during my internal debate. So, I decided to broach the subject hesitantly, not quite knowing how he would feel about me placing a nickname upon him so forwardly.

"Um…could I—or, would it be all right, if I called you…Meilė…?" after hearing myself asking something so bold, I inwardly cringed. _What if he wasn't okay with it? What if I was completely overstepping my boundaries here?_ I couldn't explain this need to call him such an odd name, but I couldn't stop myself either.

I hadn't used honorifics. I could feel the blood draining from my face, the disrespect I presented was blatant. I feel myself panicking and fighting the urge cower. If I had ever done something so horrific to any of my past masters, I would surely have been beaten black and blue. My heart raced, though I couldn't really picture the docile person in front of me raising a hand to anyone. _But, he would have been called the 'Blue Dragon' for a reason, right?_ I was losing myself in the frantic fluttering of my pulse, the fear was crawling beneath my skin.

"…What…does it mean?" he queries in a hushed tone, seemingly intrigued by the prospect of a name? Or, I could be completely misreading the situation, my skin broke into a cold sweat at the thought. _Did he not notice my misuse of the name?_ I could only hope that was the case. I wouldn't be repeating that mistake to find out, of that I was sure.

I find myself laughing somewhat breathlessly, feeling the panic somewhat subsiding in my body, wondering how I can explain this foreign urge to him. "It's—so strange really," I start hesitantly, "I can't tell you what it means, or why I have this…pull to address you as such—" my words break abruptly at the end, I pause to gather my thoughts a bit more.

"It represents a feeling I can't place, and it just feels…right."

How pathetic an excuse to offer, now that I hear it out loud. I find myself wanting to take it all back, to shut off these troublesome feelings and apologize for my boldness. But before I can do such a thing, I hear a hum that draws my attention back to the blue-haired man. "…I—" his face tilts downwards towards his lap, seemingly lost in concentration before he brings his focus back to my face. His lips, they catch my attention as the corner lifts in a barely present curl and I find myself at a loss for words at the action. _Is that what I think it is?_ It's subtle, but the smile he presents me with is nothing short of sincere.

"Thank you," his shy reply shocks me further and I find a weird warm sensations filling my chest, I feel so…happy. It pleases me to think that he likes the nickname I granted him and it makes me that more intrigued to learn more of this strange man in front of me. He's…unlike anyone I've ever encountered.

"O-of course!" I cough to tamper down my excitement, "…I'm glad that…you like it. We can find a more suitable name another time—if you want my help that is!" I rush out quickly, regretting my presumptuous nature. _Really, I know better than to act this way._ To assume he would want a person like me to bestow something as important as that upon him is dastardly. He does deserve to have a name he knows the meaning of at least, I definitely can't cement my ambiguous feelings onto him like I just did, permanently. It wouldn't be fair, but that doesn't mean I'll be the one to do that either.

I catch the subtle bob of his head, and find myself relaxing while letting out a shaky breath.

There is a genuineness in him that I have never encounter before, it separates him so drastically from anyone else. I had always thought of people to have hidden agendas, never doing anything out of the grace and kindness of their own heart, but his appreciation cuts that idea down at its core.

 _I'm so drawn to this—to him._

What more could there be to uncover from here? I was eager to find out.

 **Hope you guys liked it! Let me know your thoughts :D**


	3. Gentle Soul

Hey guys,

here I am with the third chapter, many ideas had been flowing through my mind so I just had to get to a keyboard and let them flow haha

I'm very pleased with the way that this chapter turned out, I have a tendency to rush through things when I get too into writing so I was happy to see that I didn't make it too fast paced!

I hope you guys like it and as always let me know what you think!

 **Chapter 3**

It had probably been a few days by now, maybe a week, but that was only based on the amount of times that I slept and I lost track. I couldn't be sure since I haven't stepped foot outside. I soon discovered that the cloths laid beside me posed as a makeshift mat for sleeping, though there was only enough for one sleeping space as I assumed he only had enough of anything for himself. Meilė-sama insisted on me using them, though I was extremely hesitant to do so. This belonged to him and without it he was forced to tough it out on the hard floor. He left me with little choice in the end, simply laying the contents out for me and slinking over to his side of the open space and curling away from me.

I couldn't oppose him when he barely ever requested anything of me. His easy-going, shy nature sometimes had me forgetting the relationship between us; owner and possession. My casualness needed to be taken care of, it was inappropriate. Yet I still felt the loneliness of the situation, he was so used to being alone it seemed and the thought alone made me sad. My instincts and what was expected of me waged war on each other, but nonetheless I relented and soon rested fitfully.

The cold was something I had grown used to in the shambles I lived in previously. I was not offered much in the form of amenities and made due with what was provided. Though the chill of our high altitude made the air that much more bitingly cold at night and it was a hard thing to shake. The hard floor of rock beneath me seemed to do nothing else but absorb the coldness of the atmosphere, and it had no problem sapping any warmth from my skin even through the many layers of fabric. I had taken to curling in on myself to keep my body heat centered, protecting it fruitlessly while tossing and turning for friction.

That is, until a few mornings later when I awoke feeling warmer than ever before. I sat up slowly, surprised to find a fur pelt pooling at my waist. I ran my fingers thoroughly through the softness, appreciating the silkiness of the material and wondering where it came from.

Meilė-sama was no where to be found when I awoke and I wouldn't notice until later that his short tousled blue hair was exposed, allowing me to connect the dots that he had given me his own pelt to keep me warm. The action caused a tightness in my chest and I made sure to thank him gratefully.

He only nodded, looking uncomfortable by the prospect of my appreciation of his action and this puzzled me, but I tried not to dwell on it.

I surprisingly didn't feel trapped in here. It was peculiar, as I normally am constantly on the move from one place to another, I would have thought a confined space like this would make me feel claustrophobic after some time. Yet there is something soothing about enjoying a certain space for an extended amount of time, it was a luxury I didn't realize I craved, to have a place to be. To know where you belonged. Maybe this is that feeling all of those girls craved to return to after being thrust into this life. I found myself sympathizing with them, finally getting an inkling of understanding.

This place felt like home to me, it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Meilė-sama had yet to give me anything to do, although I'm not sure I can expect that of him anymore. I'm not even sure that he knows what it is to own _something_ , let alone a person. I can't exactly be one to speak on the subject though, as I don't own anything besides the clothes on my back. Even those were sometimes taken from me by my owners at one point or another.

I wasn't expecting that from him. I felt as though I could lend a little of my trust to my blue-haired master. For some reason, I just couldn't picture him ever taking anything away from me.

If anything, he provides for me, more than I feel I deserve. Like the sacrifice of his fur pelt for me. He takes his leave now and again, and upon his return he always has some sort of nourishment. His thoughtfulness was so unexpected. At the moment I was munching on some fruits, they had a deliciously sweet tangy taste and the juices burst onto my tongue as my teeth punctured the flesh of it. I can recall the first time he brought me food, he approached me so hesitantly, as if afraid of scaring off a wild animal. I couldn't claim I wasn't skittish around people at times, but I found that around him the nervous feelings were nearly nonexistent.

He watched me so closely as I took the contents from his hand, some assorted nuts and fruit. I held onto them curiously, waiting for him to move away until I realized he wanted me to eat them in front of him. I blushed at the idea of him watching me eat but didn't question it, indulging in the meal slowly.

He seemed pleased at my reaction and it was such an odd thing to witness such attentiveness directed towards me. I couldn't stop myself from voicing my appreciativeness of his never-ending kindness. Though the reaction I received was somewhat confusing to me.

There was a frown etched onto his mouth after I spoke his given name, I had noticed it once I began adding the honorifics after my initial flub when addressing him. I couldn't figure out what he was feeling and found myself wondering if he didn't like the name after all. Though I couldn't pinpoint the source of his discomfort, and resigned myself to let it go since he had not voiced any protests.

I had made a few other discoveries since my arrival here.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Meilė-sama did not live in total darkness, though I was skeptical that that wasn't just for my own benefit rather than for himself. He had built a small pit for a fire and began studiously tending to the contents which was wonderful. It provided a warm glow and chased away some of the chills that lurked in the cave. It proved to be quite useful to my subtle observations of him as well.

I always found my gaze magnetized to him whenever he entered the space. I felt especially lucky on this day. That was due to the fact that I was only a few feet away from the edge of the fire that he was currently tending to, lending to closer analysis. I watched his motions as he stoked the flames, the light flickering off of his porcelain skin, so pale and soft looking. I'm sure that was due to the time he spent in this cave. I was similar in my own complexion, but never had the whiteness of my skin seemed as beautiful as his.

Almost as if he could feel my focus tuned in on him, his face turned to meet my own. I couldn't decipher much from what was visible of his expression, but that had begun to feel normal for me. Before long, the intense stare-off shot a shiver down my spine and I broke the trance, feeling embarrassed. I didn't catch the slight chime of his bells which would have indicated the aversion of his own stare and was surprised to see him still focused intently on me when my eyes flickered up briefly.

I suddenly wondered what it was he thought of my presence here. If it was bothersome or comforting, or if he couldn't be bothered either way. Though I didn't think that he was the type of person to be so apathetic despite his lack of communication or display of emotion.

I just think he's unpracticed.

It wasn't as though he never spoke to me. There were moments when it seemed like something would spark his interest and he would open his mouth to speak, hesitating or maybe searching for the right thing to say before speaking. He was very careful in the words that he spoke, just like he was the other day.

* * *

"Where did you come from?" He had asked me suddenly.

I was a little startled that he assumed me to not be from around here, though I guess I wasn't positive of how long he had been here himself or how familiar he was with these people around him. For all I know it could have been forever. I supposed my appearance also tended to suggest a faraway origin. Many of my handlers had presumed me to be born across the vast sea and far beyond the lands of Kouka Kingdom. I could never be sure though, everything was speculation, that was all during a time that felt separate from the life I knew.

I wasn't sure who my parents were, or where they were now for that matter. I didn't like to dwell on such thoughts, it made me question myself and I didn't like the vulnerability that came along with such uncertainty.

"Many places, too many to count I suppose. I've been to many parts around the Empire," I wasn't sure if that was exactly what he was asking or if he was more concerned with how it is that I managed to be here, so I continued just in case.

"I was bought by one of the villagers I presume, there was an exchange of money and before I knew it I was told of how I was to be an offering…" I hesitate in my next words, wondering if I should bring up his ownership of me once again, but I do despite myself.

"…To you, and that's why I am here." I finish, curious to see his subtle contemplative expression. I wonder if maybe he didn't know of the businesses that dealt in a different kind of product. The product of living and breathing flesh; humans. It was something I was all too familiar with, but that didn't mean that I should assume everyone was like me.

When I received no response to my answers, I thought to ask him my own question that had plagued me since my arrival. "Do you know what that means?" It was kind of a relief to finally voice some of my thoughts and I was not entirely surprised when my question was met with a shake of his head, the bells on his mask clattering a beautiful sound as they were whisked from side to side.

That brings some clarification. But now I'm not sure how to go about explaining such things, wondering how much his knowledge of the outside world extends. I decide I should explain in the simplest terms possible so as to not cause any unneeded confusion.

"To put it simply, you know how merchants trade clothes and other necessary items in exchange for currency?" When I received an affirmative head bob, I let my words continue, "Well, other people do similar business transactions…though the product they deal with are people. In this case, I'm part of that product."

" _People_ …" his voice is barely above a whisper and it holds a tone of astonishment and slight disgust. I wasn't shocked exactly, had I only just been introduced to such a thing I'm sure I too would have been appalled that such things existed. Though for some reason, even though it's not direct, having some of his disgust aimed toward me is troubling. It makes me uneasy and I'd really like to abandon this conversation, but I don't think this one will be so easily voided based on his reaction.

"You said…you were mine."

I cringe at the continuation of this topic, but still wanted to give him have a better understanding of the situation. "Yes, because I am." I thought briefly to leave it at that but when his focus on me didn't waver I wonder slightly if he wants me to elaborate even more.

I obliged his silent request, "The villagers purchased me and offered me to you. Therefore you are now my owner and I belong to you." This time when I stated it, everything seemed to click for him and I knew exactly when that moment occurred because nearly every muscle in his body tensed, visibly so.

I wasn't sure how he was feeling about his revelations and was battling with myself on whether or not I should voice my concerns to him. I didn't think he would be necessarily upset by my asking, but I wasn't sure that it wouldn't put him more on edge either. His knees had been brought up in front of his body, his arms draping crossed atop of his bent legs as his head seemed to bow slightly. This hid the only access I had to his emotions, so I decided to wait patiently for him to work through everything instead of prying.

The tension finally seemed to leak out of him, slowly. But he suddenly flinched as if a particularly cruel thought had pierced him. I was curious, though I wasn't sure he would verbalize his issue until I was met with his head raising to display a particular worried frown etched onto his face.

This in turn worried me and I was immediately concerned with the direction his thoughts had brought him. Though he didn't leave me in wait for long before his quiet voice broke the heavy silence settling in the air.

"Do you…" He paused, seemingly needing a moment to bolster his resolve. I noticed his position actually seemed to be shielding his entire body in a defensive manner, almost as if he was afraid of something.

"Do you, fear me?" The nervous question completely threw me off and I found my body physically moving back from the shock of it all, my butt falling to the side from where it was resting on my feet. I quickly realized why he was in the position he was in when my physical reaction caused a simultaneous one from him. He was afraid of my response. Seeing him flinch at my motions as if they'd physically hurt him only solidifies that. I realized he must have taken that as a subconscious answer to his question, when in reality it was just the shock from being posed such a query at all.

Instincts pushed my hands in front of my body, waving them frantically back and forth in front of me to gather his full attention. The words were leaping out of my throat before I could even process what it was I was saying, "No, NO!" In hindsight, that was probably a mistake.

My outburst only seemed to frighten my already shaken master, which I couldn't blame him for. I was flailing like an imbecile and shouting across the small space. I attempted to reel it in. Taking a deep breath and securing my hands in my lap before trying again, in a more calm manner.

"I don't fear you, Meilė-sama. It's quite the opposite actually. I feel somewhat indebted to you…" I hesitate only for a moment before thinking he deserves to hear my thoughts if they can comfort him even a little. "You are taking care of me, providing for me and showing me such kindness. It's unlike anything I've experienced and I'm truly grateful." My head bowed, uncomfortable with the vulnerability after sharing my true feelings with him so boldly.

I hear a shuffling in front of me and risk a glance at his figure across from me. I am met with most awestruck expression I have ever seen him wear and it is a little disconcerting to have it aimed at me. I look at him through my lashes, observing his change in posture. It looked like all the tension had completely drained from his body by now, which I was relieved to see. His legs unfurled in front of him, his arms splayed out on either side of him as his back rested slumped along the wall behind him.

His visual relief ignites some of my own and I find myself exhaling a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

Though now that my mind isn't racing, I'm struck by the thought of what would cause him to ask me something like that.

"Why do you ask?" It feels like this question was important to him so I wanted to understand why that was. He seemed reluctant to give me an answer and it only served to strengthen my curiosity.

"I…I am—" he severs his own speech, which surprised me. He's never been so opposed to speak as he is in this moment.

Before I can relent and tell him it's okay, and that he doesn't need to answer my question if it's too personal, he opens his mouth again. "I don't…want to be another thing for you to fear." My intuition is telling me those were not going to be the words he originally attempted to voice, but the ones he chose to don't warm my heart any less.

He doesn't want me to be scared of him and I think that statement alone cements the tentative trust I had laid on him previously.

* * *

Shortly after I had finished munching on my food, I found myself dozing off. I think the lack of physical activity is causing my energy levels to wane drastically quicker than normal.

When I wake, I find that I once again was covered in warmth and can't stop the smile from spreading across my lips. Meilė was surprisingly thoughtful. I raised myself to a sitting position, my arms raising to release a fortifying stretch that relieved any kinks I may have gained in my muscles from falling asleep in such an odd, upright position.

Observing my surrounding I also confirmed that I was alone. I was slightly curious as to where it was that Meilė-sama disappeared to so often. I assumed that he must have a path that leads outside where he gathered our food, but other than that I can't really think of what may lie inside this place.

I had been hesitant about exploring on my own, while never having gotten around to asking for guidance around the area. With his absence, I forged the courage to venture off into the unknown depths of the cave alone, thinking I may even possibly run into the man unconsciously.

With that settled, I rose to my feet and chose to start down the pathway to the right of me. I sometimes noted that he would enter from there upon his reemergence and figured that would be the best place to start. Though this place did seem to curl and twist around like a maze, so I couldn't be sure that I wouldn't walk in complete circles, but I was willing to risk it.

I left behind the dim light that I was used to, but it didn't take as long as it normally would for my eyes to reacquaint themselves with the darkness. The walls were all the same as I continued on my trek, I knew it would be impossible for me to find my way back if I lost my way since there were absolutely no significant landmarks to speak of. I tried not to dwell on that too much though and decided to just keep going despite the twinge of anxiety forming in my gut.

I wasn't sure how long I had been walking before I came upon an opening where the tunnel widened and gave way to a broad space.

The first thing that struck me was the luminescent moon. I could _see_ it. It was so vibrant and full and it cause an ache in my chest. It was like being reunited with something I wasn't aware I even missed. The stars were peppered above me, glittering in the midnight sea of the sky.

It took me a second to process that I was outside, the stone of the mountain gave way halfway through the space, leaving me exposed to the graceful moonlight. I took a moment to appreciate the rest of my surroundings. The mouth of the opening was graced with foliage, the entirety of the vegetation taking on a frosted layer due to the cold weather.

My next breath was visible in the night air before dissipating around me. I observed the naked trees, huddled like a wall behind a small pond. The water reflecting the beautiful night in its gentle ripples. My feet unconsciously sought to be further from the mountain side, drawn to the dark water and I knelt beside its edge. There was steam hovering over the wet surface and it tempted me to dip my hand underneath it and test the feeling of it.

I was met with the comfortable warm embrace of the water, surprising me a bit with its abnormal temperature. Was this a natural hot spring? I suppose it somewhat made sense considering the location, I had heard many such things were located high in the mountains. I briefly wondered if maybe this is where Meilė-sama disappears to. But then that springs forth the image of him bathing and I quickly shake the startling picture from my head.

I contemplate shedding my own clothes and taking a much needed dip to wash my body of the past few days. I take a cursory glance around the area, being met only with a thick boarder of trees and the pathway that I sprung from earlier.

My body is still a bit hesitant, but for some reason I don't feel like any of the villagers will present themselves when I haven't seen a soul since they left me here. That, along with the fact that my skin is itching to be cleansed, makes my internal struggle break its wavering balance. Resolving myself, I shed the cloak that protected my pale skin from the biting coldness of the air. Goosebumps litter my skin immediately and a shiver overcomes my body, but soon I grow accustomed to the temperature and strip myself of my dress and undergarments. Shortly after, I am completely bare before the moon, my newly exposed skin puckers with the chilly air so I make quick work of submerging my body into the soothing heated water.

The feeling soon relaxes any tension in my muscles and a relieved sigh escapes my lips as I dip my head beneath the surface briefly before resurfacing. The clear rivulets of liquid dance down my face, gliding down my cheeks and soaring past my neck to pool at its source. Stubborn moisture continues clinging to the ends of my lashes like crystals. I let the water carry my weight across its exterior, floating with the gentle current of the pool. My hands extend behind my head, gently tangling and playing with the weightless strands of my hair. I begin to hum to a tune, though I can't place how I came to know it. My mind drifts off into a lazy lull, my senses completely absorbed in the pleasant feeling of the water supporting my body.

I'm a bit exposed in my position, with the water only lapping briefly at the curves exposed to the night air. But the relaxation completely fogs over vulnerability and any practical thought that may have tried to worm its way into my mind.

I can offer one tidbit of advice from this experience; never let your guard down.


	4. Broken

Hey guys,

I've got the fourth chapter for you! But before I jump right into the story, I'd like to address the comments/reviews from previous chapters.

I realize there is some ambiguity surrounding the meaning of Aina's name and that was indeed intentional! Though to sate your curiosity I don't mind revealing this; her name utilizes two different translations, one is surrounding her heritage (which will stay a mystery for now) which means view/sight and the Japanese translation is love/affection. It will be mentioned more throughout the story and my reasons for choosing this name will become clearer as things unfold!

Maya Yoan: You were right about someone happening upon her in her vulnerable state but the 'who' of that will have to be read to be revealed! This chapter will prove to be somewhat of a building block upon Aina and Shin-ah's relationship!

Without any further delay,

 **Chapter 4**

I should have been able to hear the murmuring of voices that were slowly increasing in volume. Possibly then I would have had time to prepare myself for the unexpected visitors that had happened upon my tranquil spot.

Though as fate would have it, I stayed blissfully unaware. Until that bliss was shattered brutally.

"What do we have here?" The voice was close, so it soundly popped my bubble of leisure and thus threw me into full awareness immediately, yet it was too late to do anything. I bolted upright, cowering under the water and doing my best to hold on to my modesty. That was futile though, they had already clearly gotten a good eyeful, enough to peek their interest at least.

There were two men, I couldn't be sure if they were members of the small community that resided in the mountains, they didn't have masks on like the others had. I wish they had though, then maybe I wouldn't have to read the expression of glee and appreciation in their eyes as they leered at me. One of the men stepped forward, and I soon realized he was the one who had spoke before.

"What's a pretty little thing like yourself doing out here?" I think he aimed to sound soothing, but the excitement that was riddled over his face just made it sound eager and wanting. I cringed at the sound, cursing myself for not listening to my baser instinct that told me this was a bad idea, especially since I was alone.

I chose not to speak, hoping against all hope that maybe not engaging them would cause them to lose interest in me. It appeared that luck was not on my side though.

"Not much of a talker, huh? That's okay…we don't need to talk."

The insinuation was not lost on me in my naked state and I immediately was flooded with panic. It was strange now that I think about it, I was sold for this purpose specifically but the thought of these men taking my innocence away from me drove a shard of fear deep into my chest. The terror must have been visible on my face by this point because the second man chose this moment to speak.

"Hey…" his voice was hesitant, like he wasn't sure if he should speak at all. "Is-Isn't that…the girl that was given to… _him_?" His gaze was locked onto mine and I finally had confirmation that these men were indeed members of the villagers I had met before.

"What the fuck are you blabbering about? This can't be that girl, the filthy dragon definitely would have fucked and disposed of her by now." His cruel words were unsettling, but the part that made me flinch was the mention of the dragon.

Were they talking about Meilė?

I couldn't picture any amount of cruelty coming from such a gentle soul and it only made me wonder why it was these people seemed to detest him so much. He was nothing but kind to me, and he didn't deserve this. A swell of irritation overflowed within me, drowning out the fear momentarily.

"Meilė would never do such a thing to me," I bit out with the edge plain to hear in my tone, my instincts rushing to the defense of my owner's character. It made me feel poorly, for that was exactly what I had expected of him when we first met, but he proved that he had nothing but gentleness to offer. That boldness was quickly washed away when the men's focuses were relocated onto me. Confusion clouded the features of both the intruders before me.

"Meilė? Who the hell…?"

It appeared realization had dawned upon them simultaneously, finally seeing past the name I had allotted to my master. I knew this because the second man looked as though his worst nightmare had just been confirmed in front of his very eyes. Yet the first one…his expression was terrifying.

He looked as though he had just been issued a challenge he would take pride in crushing. I knew that the thing to be crushed in the end would be my spirit, right alongside my broken body.

"So, maybe he already disposed of you alive? Looks like that good for nothing menace finally did something for his people!" His excitement rose along with the resentment I could detect in his voice. I didn't understand why he was acting this way, but before I could ponder it any further he was speaking again.

"Come on out, come show me exactly what the Blue Dragon taught you, precious." I curved my body further in on itself under the water, wishing it would swallow me and make me disappear from this place. I was so scared, I wanted Meilė here.

I began to tremble as his impatience grew and he began to tread into the water after me. This got me moving, though where I planned to go I had no idea. These men were standing in front of my only true exit and I knew even if I could bound back into the cave I would lose my way long before I lost them.

He was eating up the distance in front of me and my body insisted on springing me out of the water and onto the ledge of the ground behind me. The coldness bit into my skin but it was drowned out by the adrenaline rushing and pounding in my ears. I hoisted and wriggled my body to gain leverage and then I finally was able to pull myself to my feet.

I could hear the boisterous splashing behind me and as it grew louder the beat of my heart did in turn. I could feel it pulsing like the frantic beat of drum beneath my chest, panic was seizing my coordination from me and I was unsteady on my feet from the abrupt change in climate. My muscles failed to work, frozen along with the air.

I tripped and quickly scrambled to right myself but then I felt a harsh grasp on my ankle from behind me. I thrashed, trying to dislodge his hold on me but it was no use. He easily flipped me onto my back, the motion jogging my brain a bit. In the next instant, his body hovered over mine and my arms instinctually went to protect my body, from his gaze or his intentions I didn't know. Either was most likely in vain at this point and I could feel the tears of defeat stinging my eyes, I was so useless. I couldn't even defend myself in this situation, I could only flail like a baby bird who broke it's wings before being able to fly.

Stunted and beat.

I began to sob as his hands slimed over my body, I felt disgusting and helpless. It felt like slippery eels were writhing against my skin instead of human fingers and I couldn't hold in my cries. He was whispering things in my ear that I couldn't catch over the pounding of my own pulse. Moisture was raining down my face and a surge of adrenaline sparked my body in motion. My limbs pushed, warred and rained down on anything I could touch or get a hold of. I may have been doing more harm to myself than him, but when I heard a sharp hiss after a particularly powerful swing it spurred me on.

Unfortunately he captured both my wrists in his meaty grasp, squeezing them painful tight before pinning them down above my head. A zing of fright shot down my spine and I knew that my position was as bad as it could be now. The lower half of his body had mine pinned into the cold grass beneath my back. And now he had my arms under his own control as well, any means of defense I may have had, had been stripped and I was completely exposed.

Tears flooded my face with a vengeance and my vision also failed me as it blurred around the abundance of liquid. All I had left was my voice now.

I made good use of it.

I screamed at the highest volume my vocal cords would accommodate. It pierced the silence of the night like a dome of glass, the shards raining out and echoing through the hollow woods behind us, but I didn't relent. I screamed and I cried. And then I called.

I called for Meilė.

"MEILĖ!" my throat felt raspy and sore but I didn't quit until it failed me. The man on top of me flinched with my outbursts, his grip slackening out of probable shock, I still couldn't see. I retched a hand free to join my voice in the fight against my attacker. He quickly muffled my cries with his repulsive hand, clamping it over my mouth and swearing at me.

"You little bitch. No one's going to come for—"

Before he could finish his sentence his weight and presence was retched from my body, being tossed a few feet away from me. My nerves sagged in utter relief. He heard me.

I blink away the rest of the tears clogging my vision and am met with my savior. Meilė is standing over me now, his stance fierce and rigid as he faces my assailant. A noise slices through the quiet air as he unsheathes his blade that I now noticed resides on his back. He poises it in the man's direction, the threat clear.

Suddenly my body begins to tingle, turning numb and light as a feather. I feel any residual energy whisked away with his presence and my vision begins to blacken. My consciousness is fading away, but I catch one word before I drift off into a weightless see of nothing.

" _Mine_ …"

* * *

I suddenly felt an extremely soft thing feathering across my neck. It woke me a bit so that I was able to feel some other sensations. That feeling continued and was accompanied by the loud squeal, "Pkyuu!" that sounded right by my ear. That jolted my mind awake abruptly.

There were a few things that I became aware of simultaneously as I regained a conscious state of mind. They were revealed slowly but surely and I was not quite sure how to take in the situation.

Firstly, was that it had been Ao who had been nuzzling into my neck and squeaked into my ear drum.

Secondly, was the fact that I was still nude, though I thankfully had a familiar pelt covering my exposed bits. The brief thought of where my clothes went wafted through my brain but quickly took its leave as I registered the other things that were going on in this moment.

Like the fact that I was being cradled in someone's warm lap, I could feel the heat radiating off of their body and I was oddly comfortable in my position which could have been the reason as to why my brain was so slow to take in everything around me.

The last thing and the one that struck me the hardest, was the familiar masked man holding me close to his body, or should I say the _un_ masked man.

I gawked. I wasn't sure what else I could possibly do other than blatantly stare directly at the newly revealed face of Meilė-sama.

My brain quickly threw any other observation out the window as it quickly made room for all of this new information. The softness of his skin was so plain to see with our closeness. Also, the strange red markings that laid just beneath the gentle curve of his lashes that were resting on his cheeks at the moment. He looked so peaceful and serene in his sleep. Not to mention, _beautiful_. He was a gorgeous man to behold and it only made me more conscious of my current state of dress and how I resided quite snuggly nestled between his legs.

This situation was scarily intimate but I wasn't running away screaming. Though, just as I finished that thought the reality of why we were here in this position hit me with the force of a hurricane. I almost didn't register Ao leap from my body and onto savior's head as I began to break down.

The tears immediately sprung to fill my eyes, my body trembling with the memories of my assault. My mind quickly raced to fill in alternate endings to my horrific encounter, visualizing just how bad it could have been had Meilė-sama not come to my aid. I tried to hold in my sobs so that I wouldn't wake him with my cries, but it was a fruitless effort. I couldn't stop my body from reacting to the terrifying nightmare playing out in my mind.

I noticed him stir in his sleep, his eyes began to flutter to wakefulness slowly and instantly I was entranced, silent tears raining deafly down my cheeks. The shocking amber color of his irises were so— _breathtaking._

I felt as his arms instinctively pulled me closer as he woke, it sent a shiver of awareness back into my body and suddenly I was blushing brighter than a tomato even as I cried. As his focus seemed to hone in on me, he took notice of me shaking like a leaf and sobbing quietly. I didn't even register my own pitiful sounding whisper, "Meilė…" my voice was broken off by the hiccup of another sob breaking its way out of my throat. My total lack of honorifics didn't even cross my mind.

His eyes shone with intensity and it stole the breath straight from my lungs.

I was torn in two different directions at this moment. One was utterly stunned by his beauty and the other was readily tearing itself into shreds with the flashes of my nightmare. I was a mess. His arms tightened themselves around my form and the action was extremely comforting. I couldn't comprehend why it was that his touch soothed me so completely but I relished in the feeling of safety it provided me.

"…I'm…so sorry," His voice was strained with regret and I knew he was in pain in seeing me this way. It was so awe-inspiring to see his face, he wore his emotions so openly and purely in his features, it was nothing like I had expected. I could read him so plainly, it was like some of his mysteries had been solved with the removal of that barrier between us.

I couldn't help myself, it felt as though my actions weren't even my own. My hand raised itself to cup his cheek tenderly. My gaze trapped in his fiery depths, the words escaped my lips without my consent, "So…beautiful…" My face caught fire at the unintentional admission.

But I was still staring directly into his eyes despite my sheer embarrassment. I couldn't help myself, he was so amazingly handsome in every way conceivable and I couldn't believe I was in the presence of such a specimen, clothed or not.

He seemed to snap back to alertness and realized his revealed face because he quickly snatched the mask resting beside him. My hand fell limply between us as he quickly shielded his face from my penetrating gaze and I felt disappointment. Though now that my trance was broken, it seemed my body had finally settled into one direction for my emotions and unfortunately that was total despair.

I felt somewhat rejected as he chose to hide from me and it only added to the weight that was already resting heavily on my heart. My tears upped their downward momentum, steadily streaming down my face. My face fell forward into Meilė-sama's chest, burrowing my head into the crook of his neck to muffle my cries and hide my pitiful face.

Now I was embarrassed for multiple reasons, my awkward actions and my complete breakdown in his arms.

He didn't seem to mind in the slightest though, just securely wrapping his arms at my back and pulling me further into his body. My fingers strangled his shirt in my grasp as his support just seemed to open the floodgates completely.

My sobs wracked my form as I tried to choked out, "I…I—" hiccup. "I was so… _scared,_ " I finished brokenly. "I—I don't…know what I…would have done—" hiccup. "…without you." His hands were soothing in their brushing along my spine and they were serving to calm my gasping and cries. I finally felt like I could take a shuddering breath, trying to get my tears under my own control again.

I broke away from his embrace, looking into his masked face once again and trying to keep the disappointment from painting across my face so clearly. I missed his eyes already. His hand was braced along my back to keep me steady in his lap and immediately I began to stutter out of sheer embarrassment, "I—um, w-where are my clothes?" I couldn't look at him anymore by this point, my cheeks felt like they were flaming and I could only risk a peek at him quickly before breaking away once again. His cheeks were pink too!

"…I couldn't—you…" his voice faltered in a way similar to my own and it would have been funny listening him trying to find the words to say if I wasn't so humiliated.

"…I couldn't dress you…" he offered finally, sounding sheepish and ashamed. I didn't quite understand why he sounded that way, I couldn't blame him for not dressing me in my unconscious state. I think I would have been more ashamed had he tried to. That would have meant he got a good up close and personal view of my naked flesh. It comforted me a bit to know he tried to give me back some of my modesty by just covering me rather than fumbling with clothing me.

"…I'm sorry," he was saying that a lot, and it made me feel bad that he was feeling bad.

"Don't apologize," I jumped to reassure him, "I appreciate you covering me up, I don't imagine it would have been easy to try and dress me while I was passed out." I hoped he understood that I didn't think poorly of him for keeping me this way, he had saved me from a terrible fate. I was more grateful to him than he would ever know.

"Your…clothes…" I looked toward the direction of his hand and noticed a pile of clothing a foot away from us, folded neatly on the ground. I was so thankful that he had grabbed them before coming back to our room. _'Our room'_ what a weird concept, but I wasn't sure what else to refer to it as. I nodded my head with a small smile spared in his direction and quickly broke away from his loose hold on me to stand and dress. My grip was tight on the fur covering my front and I hesitated briefly before turning to walking away, knowing my rear was exposed. I glanced down at his form sitting by my feet. It warmed my heart to see that he had already faced away from me in order to give me privacy to change.

Ao was quick to scurry around next to my ankles and accompany me as I made my way over to my clothes, but before I did I turned my head back to gaze at the blue-haired man.

"Thank you, Meilė-sama," I was saying it for many things in this moment, there was so many reasons to thank this gentle person before me. He tensed at my words and I wondered why that was.

* * *

It was much later, after I had changed and he revealed the food that he must have disappeared to gather. We ate peacefully, my squirrel companion happily munching on her ration while perched on my shoulder. All awkwardness had thankfully dispersed from the atmosphere and now I was just left with many questions. I knew I needed to ask them, but how to broach the topic was escaping me.

I figured there was no way to ease into it other than just diving in head first.

"Meilė-sama…" I called, hoping to gain his attention, pleased to see his focus come upon me immediately at my voice. "Can I ask you some questions?" I figured this would be the best way to go about starting the conversation, that way he wouldn't feel bombarded at my barrage of curiosities.

He gave me a simple head nod, the jingle of his bells confirming his affirmation.

"Those men…" his body immediately tensed at the topic of my assailants, and I couldn't blame him. Just speaking about this brought on a horde of unpleasant images and thoughts surrounding the two. Though I don't think I could really group the second man along with the first, I wasn't even sure what happened to him after all was said and done. "They were villagers, right?"

Each word as I continued to speak felt like I was pulling them straight from my gut, scratching their way up through my throat before my mouth could give voice to them. But I needed to know. I had no idea if this would help, but I had the urge regardless of how painful the topic was.

He confirmed my hunch, and I was left to continue my line of questioning, "Why do they hate you so much?" I felt insensitive wording it like that, but I wasn't sure what else to call what I had been faced with when they had talked about him. All I could feel from them was resentment and anger all directed towards the man in front of me, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why.

He hesitated in his response, his body slumped and head angled towards his hands before he spoke. His voice was small and defeated, "I'm a monster…" A pang stung my heart at the tone in his words, it hurt me that he was hurting. Ao was quick to leave me to go and comfort her friend, rushing up his arm and nuzzling herself into his cheek.

"A monster?" I parroted back, confused and surprised that he would refer to himself as such a thing. He was nothing but a savior in my eyes and I don't think it was possible for me to see him any other way.

His solemn nod was more than I could take.

"No, you're not." My voice was firm, stronger than it had ever been. I knew in the marrow of my bones that the man before me was not capable of malicious intent, there was absolutely zero chance that he was any sort of bad person. I knew bad people, I knew their kind better than I knew the kind of man that was sat before me. Bad people never admitted to being bad.

He was so different from any person I had come into contact with, he held nothing but kindness and beauty in his heart. It radiated from his eyes the moment I was met by them. It was painful that he seemed blind to that.

My words seemed to shock him out of his slump, his head rose to meet my gaze and the disbelief was palpable from him even with the shield on his face. "Meilė-sama, you are the furthest thing from a monster there could possibly be. In my eyes you are nothing short of a savior, a guardian who protected me in my time of need."

I closed the space between us, resting my palms on the smooth skin of his cheeks, relishing in the softness beneath my fingers. Ao chose to spring away from the two of us in this moment, as though she could sense I was there to offer him comfort. I looked directly into where I knew his gorgeous eyes resided behind his mask. Willing him to discard these bad ideas about himself.

"I called, and you were there." I leaned my forehead against his, offering the same comfort he selflessly gave to me when I was vulnerable. I was surprised to feel wetness hitting my thumbs and as I put some space between our faces I noticed tears escaping the bottom of his mask.

My heart broke for him in that moment.

Instinct had me coiling my arms around his neck and bringing his face to my chest. He tensed at my actions, steeling his body for a moment before he melted into my embrace and gripped onto the fabric of my dress at my sides.

"Pykuuuu!" That abrupt noise broke all the tension in the air instantly. I released my hold on Meilė-sama and glanced over at the cute animal that looked at both of us with sparkling eyes. Unfortunately or fortunately her interruption had closed the door on the conversation. It looked as though my answer seeking session was over, but I knew now wasn't the time to push.

There was still so much to learn about my mysterious owner. I didn't realize just how much.


	5. I See You

Hey Guys,

I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it!

Maya Yoan: It truly is, though in this case it's an important event that leads to the development of Aina's personality and the relationship between her and Shin-ah. And of course, I'll be slowly revealing more about Aina's background as we go along!

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave a review of any criticism you may have of the story this far! I'm always looking to improve!

Let us begin…

 **Chapter 5**

Things have changed drastically recently. I could hold the event that occurred only a week prior mostly responsible it seemed. I shouldn't have been that surprised I suppose, but for some reason I was. Not necessarily from Meilė-sama's actions but on my own _reaction_ to them.

The blue haired man was glued to me now, never leaving my line of sight and always keeping a very watchful gaze over our surroundings wherever we were. That being something else that has changed; whenever Meilė-sama leaves to get food, bathe, or whatever other errands he must attend to, he always brings me along. His hand in my own has become an ever present comfort in the past few days.

I've grown to rely on his presence greatly; it scares me.

I've never been the type to be ever so inclined toward being comforted. I've always been a self sufficient person, it happens that way when you have the upbringing that I was subjected to. I was always someone else's property, but emotional support was never part of deal. I accepted that; I had never known any different. I was my own shoulder to cry on when my buried feelings grew too great.

Thus, I don't think I could have ever possibly predicted the effect of such careful treatment. Being someone's concern is new and very strange. Such things struck a bold fear in my chest. I have always held little attachment to things and people. They were very much temporary in my world, so I grew used to the fact that I would always be alone. People came and went like the seasons, ever changing and never constant.

It was me against the world.

But I have Meilė-sama now, and it doesn't seem as though he has any intention of abandoning me at the moment.

As much as I scream at myself that I cannot get too attached to him, the feelings are far beyond my control now. His natural behaviors and seemingly instinctual actions are reforging my heart and branding it with his kindness. It's terrifying in a completely different way than what I'm use to. A simple touch of his hand or when I catch his eyes lingering on me, it causes a surge in my chest. It is impossible for my mind not to race at the thought of leaving him, but I know he can't possibly want me forever.

Such beautiful things could never last.

* * *

" _Don't…" my tone was broken, pleading. "I—please leave me alone!" The hands wouldn't cease, no matter how much begging I did they continued to roam to their heart's content. Searching, feeling and exposing things I never wanted to share. I wanted to scream, screech for someone to save me._

 **Meilė.**

 _I open my mouth to scream his name, yet I'm met with bitter cold silence. The voice that should be ricocheting across the woodlands is swallowed by the whispering wind effortlessly. I cough and grunt trying to get my throat to work in the way I want it to. I try again and the chilling breeze mocks my attempt to voice my call. Only a defeated exhale manages to escape past my lips. I tremble, my only way of salvation being snatched from my mouth so cruelly._

' _Meilė…MEILĖ!' I scream in my mind, willing my thoughts to spark a voice of their own, to be heard. But my wishful thinking is fruitless. The hands continue their adventure, growing in numbers and never wavering in their assault, swallowing my body. Every nook and crevice of my being is invaded and conquered. There is no escape as they take over my entire field of vision._

 _The panic seizes my lungs as I'm being buried. I can't even draw in a breath, my mouth is glued shut and my organs are screaming for oxygen. I. Need. Air. BREATHE!_

My body jolts upward, my lungs greedily filling to capacity with fresh air. My breaths are ragged and forced, my throat feels so raw and dry. _Another dream._ They vary from time to time, but the ending remains the same. I'm always swallowed, left to suffocate in the blackness.

My shaking hands come to my face, feeling the ghostly sensation of the hands still touching my flesh. A shiver of disgust erupts a wave of goosebumps over my skin.

Before I know what's happening, the damn is breaking. I've been doing so well to keep the tears at bay for the past few weeks since the incident, but I'm running on empty and it physically hurts to try containing them. My body is shaking with effort to restrain my flooding emotions. It's not long until I'm desperately fighting to keep my noises to myself, trying to strangle the sobs that are slithering up my throat. I don't want to wake him, I've managed to keep it together through the night enough not to disturb his sleep. I want to keep it that way.

A whimper sneaks past my defense, I curl in on myself, hoping my body will muffle some of the sound.

I take a sneaking glance at his form across the way from me and panic seizes my lungs as my eyes are met with empty space. His absence creates more anxiety in my already shaking form, I abandon any effort to stay quiet as the battle is quickly lost to my fear. I'm desperately trying to draw in oxygen, the room feeling like its determined to keep my lungs empty of their life source. Taking note of my disturbing reaction to his lack of presence only serves to add onto the weight resting on my chest. In my full blown anxiety attack, I don't notice of the figure approaching me from the right until a warm touch skims across my shoulder.

My head whips to the right, and my entire being floods with relief as my gaze settles upon his face. He's not wearing his mask and his expression is pinched in blatant concern, possibly even a twinge of fear seeps from those heated amber orbs. My body's reacting of its own will, my legs fling my torso at the unsuspecting Meilė and he just barely braces for the weight of me as I wrap my body around him like a blanket. My arms are coiled around his neck and my face is buried in the crook of his shoulder.

He's stiff upon the reception of me and had I been able to have the capacity for any other emotions in this moment, I probably would have been rightfully humiliated by my own actions. Plastering myself to him as I straddle his lap is beyond inappropriate. But unfortunately all my inhibitions flew from my mind upon seeing his reassuring presence beside me.

His arms gradually slipped around my waist, hesitantly so. It made sense to me; his hesitance. We had not been particularly physical in contact over the past few weeks. Whether it was a result of the residual awkwardness of my nakedness or just because neither of us were that in tuned to receiving or giving physical comfort, I couldn't be sure.

"…Is this okay?" His soft voice spoke gently through my messy locks of hair. I could only assume he was referring to his return of the embrace, though I couldn't find the right of mind to confirm vocally, so I just tightened my grip and nuzzled further into his body. This wasn't a conscious act on my part, it was pure instinct that was fueling my actions and I couldn't find the cognizance inside my mind to feel abashed. I was too focused on how to breath properly.

By now the tears were soaking into the fabric of his shirt. I was still gasping for breath, trying to remember how exactly it is that one takes in air. His gloved palms run a soothing path along my back and my rapid pants slow in their pace slightly.

"Breathe."

It's a gentle command, and the soft caress of his voice directly next to my ear fixes the misaligned cogs of my brain that forgot the simple function of breathing. I slow my rapid gasps until I'm finally taking in oxygen in a steady rhythm again. Unintentionally mimicking the rise and fall of his chest that rests tightly against my own.

Suddenly a fear so sharp and quick squeezed painfully at my heart. _Stop getting too close. You need to protect yourself! No one lets you stay._ The thoughts assault my brain all at once and a chill stings my skin. I needed to get a hold of myself. _You are your own rock_. I felt awkward now that my senses had returned and I wasn't sure what I should do. I didn't know if I could separate myself from his arms and face my own embarrassment head-on. But stewing in the this humiliating situation would be equally mortifying.

I decided to stiffen my upper lip and take the bull by the horns here. I force some space between us and Meilė's hands literally leap from my body as if I've burned him. And to say that I was not expecting such a reaction would be an understatement. His hands were acting as an anchor for my body, so without them I quickly slip off of his bent knees and plop onto the stone floor. This just seemed to underline the tension between us. _I wonder if I disgust him._ My tear stained face was pathetically trying to look blasé and absolutely failing if the heat blooming underneath my cheeks was anything to go by.

I did my best to meet his eyes and immediately felt the air leave my lungs as I was met by his unyielding gaze. In all the commotion I had forgotten that he had been sans mask this entire time. All thoughts of explanation left my mind abruptly. I was being sucked into pools of liquid gold, they were shimmering so exquisitely.

He paled at my complete attention on his eyes and slapped both of his hands to block his sight, or maybe mine? I wasn't sure how to take it. I might have laughed in any other moment, but I was completely taken aback at his sudden motion. Then confusion was swirling heavily in my thoughts. Why did he always hide his eyes from me? He was never without his mask and I don't understand why the heavy emphasis was put on masking ones face in this village.

"Why do you hide from me?"

My embarrassment fled to the recesses of my mind, all I was left with was the desire to get to the bottom of this mystery. In all of my time with this man, the only other time that I had been met with his beautiful eyes was after my assault. The memory made me cringe a bit, but I shook the feeling in order to focus on his response. I wondered briefly if maybe he was ashamed of the way he looked, which sounded so absurd to me since he was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on.

"…Cursed."

The simple statement did nothing to appease my confusion, I wanted nothing more than to push the topic, urge him to tell me the full story. But I had learned these past few weeks that I had to be patient in my questions with the blue haired man.

I placed my hands overtop his, noticing his tensing from the action immediately. I did nothing more than hold them there. I was not going to urge him to remove them and I wanted to show him that. After a minute or two of just sitting like that, he seemed to relax slightly.

"Meilė," I called softly. Wanting to encourage his openness going forward I tried to do so with my words. "I'm not sure why you shield yourself behind that mask, but I want you to know that I accept you. There is nothing about you that could ever scare me." His tense form coiled a bit tighter at my words before it all appeared to expel from his body at once. I have a hunch that no one has ever said that to him before.

"…You couldn't—I am…a monster."

The broken voice was barely above a whisper, and had I not been sat knee to knee with him at this moment I would have never heard the tremble in his voice as he spoke. It shatters my heart to pieces. His pain has become my own and I physically ache for him in this moment.

I let my palm slide along the side of his neck, hoping the action soothes him even the tiniest bit. He has been my very source of comfort these past few weeks and I want to do whatever I can to return the favor twofold.

A shaking sigh escapes past his lips, I take this as my opportunity to speak. "You are not a monster, Meilė. I have told this to you before, but I will tell you however many times it takes to have you believe it. You are my savior." My voice doesn't show the slightest waver, I believe my words whole heartedly and I would do anything to have him except them as truth.

I'm not sure who instilled such terrible ideas of himself within his heart, but I hate them for it. I have never felt such an emotion so strongly before then I do in this moment.

"I-I've…killed people…" his body begins to quiver at his own words and my body is reaching to comfort him before I can even think about it. I rise onto my knees and my torso leans closer to him. I slip my hand into his soft locks of blue hair, relishing the silky feel of them gliding between my fingers as I reach the back of his head.

I urge him to my shoulder, using my other arm to pull his hands away gently as I hide his face in the crook of my neck. He's stiff as I do this, seemingly apprehensive of my actions. Though as his face angles itself into my neck and I feel his soft breaths fan over my skin, my body also coils with its own tension at the strange sensation.

After a few moments, he seems to relax subtly.

"I want to understand you, Meilė. Please…tell me." I reign in my urge to push as much as possible, but I feel like he needs the nudge to get these pent up emotions out. I know how terrible I have been feeling these past few weeks after bottling everything up and I can't even begin to imagine how long he has had this heaviness weighing down on him.

He burrows his face further into my neck, as if he could disappear and avoid this entire conversation if he did. His discomfort became my own, but I knew I had to hold firm if I wanted to understand him. And my heart longed to understand this young man in front of me more than anything else.

I attempted to soothe him further, hoping he would relax even the littlest bit as I moved my fingers and began to thread them through his hair, moving through the locks carefully as I stroked his head. My mind was shouting at me, I could hear the voices screaming that I was being weak. I ignored the yelling. In response to my actions I received a shuddering breath against my skin, I could tell he was trying to hang onto his emotions, but just as mine did, the floodgates roared open.

I felt the moisture tickle my neck and shoulder as it began to rain down from his sadness. It hurt me, but I was determined to be there for him just as he had for me. I had to be strong even if it's the last thing I was.

I hushed him, my body swaying his in a subtle and tender rock.

"You know, Meilė…" the emotion floods my throat, making it difficult to voice my words but I push through. "You may consider yourself a horrible person who committed a crime, but any person who bears this kind of pain from a deed and drowns in their remorse could not possibly be the monster you speak of." My words were met with the grip of his fingers meeting the fabric at my back, as if he were grabbing those words and holding onto them for dear life.

My brain wasn't even sparing a thought toward the fact that this person in my arms was a self proclaimed murderer. It wasn't even a possibility in my heart, there was more to the story and I was bound and determined to find that out.

It was a few moments of silence between us, as I let him stew in my proclamation absorbing the meaning fully, before he finally spoke. "…I saw them, they were…miles away." I didn't interrupt him, letting him work through it at his own pace and holding my curiosity at bay. "I can see everything."

I felt that there was more to that simple statement, like it held so much meaning by itself that it would be so incredibly hard to unload all at once. But I didn't dare disrupt his words to voice my opinions.

"The soldiers were coming, they were going to hurt them…couldn't let them hurt my people—I killed them…" the guilt mounted so thickly in his voice before it finally broke off at the end. He was broken.

I wanted to be his glue.

"You protected them." I didn't need to know the details of the situation to understand that much. I didn't even need to completely understand his power of sight to know that this man was an anomaly.

The reaction to my words was instantaneous. His body froze and his breathing stuttered to a halt. I knew that no one had ever justified his actions for him, he wouldn't even consider to do such a thing for himself. He was such a selfless person and yet he couldn't help but hold his own actions, in aid for another, against himself.

"You are so unlike any person I have ever encountered. I wish you could see all of the good in yourself." A soft sigh escapes my mouth, I wish he could see what I see.

The thought brings me back to what he said before. _'I can see everything,'_ the words echo in my mind. That was important and I needed to know why.

"What did you mean when you said you 'see everything'?" I knew it was breaking the tender moment that I had created between us, but I wanted him to trust me and I knew that he was hiding something big behind those beautiful eyes of his.

"…I—" his hesitance was understandable and I didn't want to push too hard after his turmoil had just boiled over like that, but I was desperate to know. His body started to shift and he pulled back from me to face me head on, though he was careful to keep his eyes closed off from me.

"I am the Blue Dragon…I have the power of the dragon's eyes."

I let the words settle around us, urging them to stick to me with their meaning, but they slid right off instead. I couldn't grasp the concept of what he was saying. He had abilities?

"Power?" I question meekly, I felt somewhat dumb for not understanding. I had heard mention of him being the Blue Dragon when I first came here. He even insisted that was his name when we had first introduced ourselves, but it seemed the meaning of that was all but lost on me.

"…It's a curse…" He sounded thoroughly disgusted by himself and I hated it. I could deduce that this ability allowed for him to see far distances; though exactly how far I couldn't be certain. It seemed these eyes of his were capable of great power. I didn't need to know what that was to understand that such a thing scared him.

"Do you fear this ability?"

His mouth twisted into a grimace and his eyes scrunched closed even tighter, his brows furrowing in distress. I hated such an expression gracing his handsome face. My hands made their way to his face instinctually and my fingers worked to smooth the harsh lines that were etched into his skin.

His shoulders bunched at the sudden touch that I'm sure he wasn't expecting. Until they slowly unfurled and sank with the deflation of his tension. "You—I don't ever want to hurt you." It was laced with a fierceness I couldn't understand but made my stomach somersault nonetheless.

"You won't." I was positive of this. Not only did Meilė not hold a malicious bone in his body, he went out of his way to care for me and protect me. I didn't think he was capable of hurting me. His lips parted in surprise, seemingly at a loss by my blunt proclamation once again. I could feel my mind screaming at me to move away, that I was putting too much of my faith in one person who could easily crush me. My instincts were warring directly against what my brain had been conditioned to know to be true. People couldn't be trusted.

I trusted him anyway.

I felt the screaming in my head silence as I realized that despite everything I thought I knew about life and people, Meilė was a blatant contradiction. He was the exception to every rule I had ever made for myself and I couldn't even hope to stop myself from believing in him with everything I am.

It was terrifying; yet exhilarating.

My heart melted as my mind finally gave up the fight, and I let the overwhelming warmth flood me and I suddenly felt weightless. It was a stark contrast to how I've always felt, burdened with the heaviness of the world. This feeling was unlike any other I had ever experienced before and I wanted to embrace it wholeheartedly.

"I believe in you, Meilė. You don't have to hide from me." My smile overtook my face automatically as my fingers brushed lightly across his beautifully long lashes as they rested against his porcelain cheeks. I wasn't going to rush him into revealing himself to me anymore, I accepted him as he was and the fact that I would put my faith into him regardless of anything else.

I was content sharing my space with him, offering him my unconditional comfort, and just admiring his beauty up close. But my breath was aptly sucked from my lungs, I couldn't prevent myself from freezing as my hands bracketed themselves on either side of face.

Because Meilė was _looking_ at me.

 **Well, there you have it! Some secrets have been revealed and things are moving along, I was really considering doing the next chapter in Shin-ah's POV since I think this story might really benefit from the dynamic of hearing his thoughts on certain situations. Let me know how you feel about it! It may just be a little excerpt, or the whole chapter. We shall see :)**


	6. She is Everything (Shin-ah POV Teaser)

Hey Guys,

This is just a really short excerpt as I attempt to get a feel for Shin-ah's voice within this story. I'm not really considering it a chapter, just a little teaser before I upload the next one.

I batted around doing it in first person but found that it just didn't sound at all like him. For some reason reading Shin-ah refer to himself as 'I' outside of conversation just sounds completely wrong to me.

So I present you with third person Meilė! I Hope you guys enjoy, let me know your thoughts and whether or not you want me to start implementing him here and there throughout the story as it progresses!

Happy reading…

 **Chapter 5.5**

' _I believe in you…'_ those words made his chest expand in the oddest way.

Meilė's eyes had blinked open before he even had the time to realize the consequences of such an action. Staring into silvery-blue irises, they were simply entrancing. Finding himself at the mercy of this person unnerved him, but the man was helpless to stop it. Never having felt such a thing before, the foreign sensations were seizing control of the dragon's actions.

Fear wanted to freeze the functionality of his body, or maybe it was just part of the curse, but for some reason it was unable. All Meilė could feel in this moment was complete calm as he stared unbidden into such a warm gaze. This feeling, it was like that of the foreign embraces he had been receiving as of late. The man was unaccustomed to such contact, but the overwhelming warmth that bloomed inside his chest washed away any uncertainty, like the rain.

This person in front of him was more precious than he could have ever imagined. The sheer amount of instinctive-ness she drew out of the dragon was uncalled for. He should have been reeling backward, doing anything to take his eyes away from her gaze. Hurting her, it would **kill** him.

 _Protect her! Close your eyes! Before you kill her…_

But no matter how much those thoughts shouted for his body to call to action and protect the person in front of him, her eyes didn't let the blue-haired man stray even a millimeter. Her hands were so warm upon his cheeks and he could feel his muscles easing at the simple contact.

She seemed as surprised as him, or so it seemed at least.

It was an active mission to keep Meilė's gaze hidden away. This power was truly despicable, it did nothing but cause pain and devastation to its surroundings. He had no sense of control over it, as if it bent to its own will and swiftly left him a paralyzed mess. That terrified him; more than anything else in this world. Being alone would be a small price to pay for the rest of his life if that's what it took to keep people safe. Or, that's what the Blue Dragon had always imagined. Thinking of this mysterious girl leaving his side created a never-ending ache deep in the man's chest. Yet he just didn't understand what it all meant.

"Meilė…" the name sent shivers down his spine, the tone so sweet and comforting in comparison to the past silence he was accustomed to. He wanted her to call for him always, he loved listening to her speak. She was gazing at him in true wonderment and Meilė could only assume his own expression mirrored hers. Nothing was happening. _She was okay…staring into these cursed irises, she was completely unaffected._ The man had always been told that these eyes brought nothing but sorrow and death, but when focused upon her he felt none of the paralysis and overwhelming fury that seemed to bubble uncontrollably underneath his skin.

 _What is happening, Ao?_ He wished the irritable guardian were still here, so he may shed some light on this anomaly. Meilė was feeling so stupid and confused and…unsure. The insecurity was scary. But somehow any time these emotions attempted to rise up and take over, forcing the man to shy away, her presence soothed the worries into oblivion.

"I…don't understand," he felt the frown pulling at the corners of his mouth, the uncertainty and confusion swirling heavily in his head.

"You're looking at me," the words barely escape above a whisper, but he managed to catch the movement of her lips easily as they curled around them. She seems in awe and the direct attention forces warmth to bloom from the skin beneath her hands. Meilė doesn't know how to proceed in this situation, he thinks he should close his eyes, retreat from her personal space, but can't will his body to move away from her.

"I-I shouldn't…" His chin barely twitches away from her hold as he glances to the side and her grip on the blue-haired man suddenly gains intensity as she cages his head to face her. The action sets Meilė's heart to a pounding rhythm behind his ribs. "Please…"

Eyes focus back onto hers as he hears her quiet plea. "Don't leave me," her lips twitch and the man notices the moisture gathering in the corner of her lashes, it causes a pang to hit the dragon square in the chest. He doesn't like to see her cry.

For some reason her words seem to hold much more meaning than Meilė can comprehend. Her true meaning is lost on the man, but regardless of that, the Blue Dragon heeds her shy request, abandoning his quest of escaping her stare. Anything to keep her from being upset; he motions a slight nod to let her know of his intentions.

Her grip lessens slowly, until her palms are sliding from his face all together. Meilė's skin prickles at the contact of her smooth fingers grazing his neck until they finally settle against his shoulders. It causes a weird reaction within him and not for the first time the man is left wondering what is happening to his body.

"I'm—you're…n-not hurt…by my eyes?" Thoughts spill out in a confused jumble as they usually do around Aina. He can't voice his words properly, feeling unpracticed and lame in his attempts at conversation.

She just smiles comfortingly, easing the embarrassment that lingered at his stuttering. Her gaze was so warm and inviting and so…beautiful. "I knew you couldn't hurt me, believe in yourself like I do, Meilė." Her words seemed so absolute, and he's left pondering how it is she has so much faith in him. Even when he finds himself feeling so out of sorts she just smiles, and it calms the man immediately. She's magic.

She is everything.

 **Be sure to leave a review on how you felt about Shin-ah's POV, it would be much appreciated! I love hearing readers' thoughts :)**


	7. Unraveling Slowly

Hey guys,

Been a while, huh? Sorry for anyone who has been awaiting an update. Life got in the way of continuing this and I had to prioritize my main story. But never fear, to those that follow this story, the show will go on… Just at a slower pace, you know? Please be patient with me, as this has developed into quite the brain child and needed a lot of TLC, still does, but I'm working on it.

To those who haven't read since I made some changes, besides some minor details here and there, the most important change was Shin-ah's name. He won't receive it quite yet, so you'll see him referred to as "Meilė-sama," or "Meilė" when Aina's particularly emotional and forgets her manners.

I hope you all don't mind the change, but after receiving a review from _bookgirl18_ I contemplated my decision to have Aina name Shin-ah and agreed that it just didn't feel right. It felt forced and insincere considering the little amount of time they had known one another. So for now he has a nickname until he finally becomes the Shin-ah we all know and love. x)

A big thanks to everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed the story in my absence. It means a lot to know you guys are enjoying it. So without further ado…

Please enjoy,

 **Chapter 6**

He's…looking at me.

Words flitter in and out of my mind, my attempts at grasping any one of them futile, which left me an awkward gaping mess. My mouth open with jaw slack, I could do nothing but gaze into the fiery irises open wide and prettily before me.

But I couldn't help it, this action meant everything to me. Whether an intentional move or not, Meilė was showing trust in me. I knew, by body language alone, how much the thought of doing this had terrified him. Be it because of this cursed power he feared so much, or just being in a vulnerable situation in general, I couldn't be sure.

What I was certain of though, was my awe for him.

This man was such a magnificent wonder of the world. As I continue to stare, the sudden flicker of his head inside my grasp draws by attention away from his eyes directly so as to observe his expression.

Wariness is as present as day, and I can feel his pull to retreat from me almost as vividly as I feel the subsequent onslaught of emotions that attempts to overwhelm me. It's like a massive tidal wave that crashes overtop of my head, it's sole aim being to drawn me into its current of insecurity.

In a panic, my grip grows firmer to prevent his withdraw into that mysterious mind of his. My mouth finally manages to gain function, only to spew words that I don't even have a chance to ponder.

"Don't leave me."

I may not have had an opportunity to consciously choose my words, but their instinctive meaning is as clear as day. _I'm tired of being alone._

This connection between us, like two kindred spirits who have finally found home in one another, is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Having someone so attentive and caring, someone who understands and provides comfort without any ulterior motive, is a rarity. At least in my own experience.

This Blue Dragon, so feared and hated by his people, has shown me more kindness than I've endured throughout my entire lifetime from the moment I set foot inside his domain. The warmth that constricts around my heart at the mere thought of this man is such an unusual feeling. And yet, I wouldn't wish it away for anything else in this world.

My mind warned me, constantly and in a never ceasing manner, to not get too close. To not get comfortable in this moment, because things just don't last and happiness is but a fleeting emotion like all the others. It urged me to guard myself, to protect my innocent heart from the cruelty I've never before put myself in a position to experience.

But this feeling was irrefutable.

As this realization sunk into my bones, the fight left my body. Hands with a mind of their own deftly ran along the column of his throat in an unconscious action, my brain finally able to recognize these warm feelings for what they were. Solid and ever trusting, in a way no one has control over, these feelings could not be classed as anything other than…

Love.

It was so simple and yet completely foreign. Love? What did it even mean to love someone?

I wasn't sure, but as I gazed endlessly into those warm honeyed pools, flecks of blue and silver reflect back at me. So eerily familiar, I can't help but feel as though fate had put me in this gentle man's path. As anxious and confused as I was, I could no more deny these feelings than I could successfully decode them.

My entire wold tilts on its axis in a matter of seconds as these emotions swirl and demand acknowledgment. My subconscious mind is wordlessly willing this beautiful man before me to understand my internal struggle and to soothe my worries. And like a bird, responding to the silent call of the wind, he does exactly that.

His nod is brief, but it speaks volumes in a way only his actions can.

It's affect is instant, my residual coiled tension unfurling instantaneously while my lungs release a breath I hand't realized I held.

I was meant to meet Meilė, and regardless of whether the villagers were aware of it or not, I truly was an offering to the Blue Dragon. Just not in the sense that they had intended. That fateful encounter changed the course of both of our destinies, and one could only imagine what was in store for us beyond here.

But I was determined to help him, to give him everything I have, if only to see him happy. He had unknowingly already given me more than I could have hoped for.

I wasn't even sure he realized it.

* * *

The days meld from one into the next in a maddening blur of…bliss. I wish there was another way for me to describe them, something more, but simplicity is my best form so that will have to do for now. I can't be sure how much time has passed exactly, it just never seemed like an important thing to dwell on. I do know that it's be a while, and things have taken a shift during that time.

I can feel the barriers between Mielė-sama and I disintegrating one day at a time. Things that were once full of hesitancy and shyness, now feels like second nature. At least, that's how it feels to me.

It can't be certain that I'm not looking at the situation with a warped lens though. My feelings cast an ethereal glow onto the endless days and nights, but I'm not foolish enough to believe it as reality.

There is a battle that wages itself in my mind daily, a part of me thriving to get closer while the other side of me reminds me of my place. As much distance as we cut down, there will always remain the barrier of ownership. I know it's my mind's way of protecting me, of allowing me to be close but only so much so. Because at the end of the day, these feelings belong to me, and me alone.

There are many things I am, and naive would certainly be one of them. But I refuse to allow my newfound emotions to cloud and distort Mielė-sama into something he is not. _And he is not my lover._ I may love him, but that will be a secret I never divulge to anyone. Besides there is more to him beyond those feelings, more that I still am unaware of. And while I don't believe there could be anything that could taint his imagine inside my heart and mind, I crave to uncover these things about him.

I guess I should have expected the incredibly intuitive man to have an awareness of my desires. To an extent…

So maybe it shouldn't have come as such a surprise to me when after a quiet and cosy meal together, side by side perched in front of the fire, that Mielė-sama offers his hand to me. There isn't a moment of question before I lay my own palm inside of his larger one. I relish in the feel of his deft fingers curling around mine, only to blink in wonder when he rises from his seated position, taking me and my hand along with him.

I know there are questions written all over my face, ones I never give voice to but that he answers all the same.

"Follow me?" His soft voice curls around the question, but he should know by now that it was unnecessary.

My body was already his, my trust in this man knew no bounds. I would follow him anywhere he led. Though I can't help the tiny curve that catches the edge of my mouth at Mielė-sama's consideration of me. I give him a small nod, knowing he needs to be certain.

We waste no time, he leads my eager feet to an unknown destination within the twining tunnels within the mountain. And as much as the walls seem to blend and morph into seemingly similar pathways that are nearly impossible to navigate on my own, I can scarcely tell that this is one path I have not been down before.

The dark dimness encases the area aside from the small torch that casts a small glow along our trek. I was curious as to what made him carry the light, knowing that with his familiarity and impeccable sight he surely doesn't need light to guide him. But I kept the curiosities to myself, patiently following in his wake, excitement simmering a bit in my gut as to where we could be going.

All of my thoughts come to be answered when we come upon a small alcove. We hesitate a moment at the entrance before he guides me inside toward the rock shelf that lies directly before us. I notice wax candles sat on along the ledge, the reason for the torch apparent when Mielė-sama set about lighting each one.

Once his task is complete, he releases his hold on my hand, sending a chill up my spine when it's left hanging bereft. He blows out the torch, seemingly extinguishing all of my previous excitement along with it. The air seems to drop a few degrees, but I write that off as my imagination and the growing unease of my nerves.

I don't like this space, and I can't understand why.

My bare feet take a few paces back, trying to dispel my discomfort with this place and not elude my quiet companion to my feelings. He brought me here for a reason, and I don't want my unease to discourage him from whatever he planned.

I bump into something then, the back of my thighs meeting something strong and unmoving. Turning around, it takes a moment for me to make out what the vague shape is, but when my eyes finally adjust a bit to the darkness I realize its a rock platform.

It's tall, meeting the middle of my thighs in height and I notice it almost seems to serve as a table. _What is this for…?_

"My village despises the power of the Blue Dragon."

His low toned words both put me at ease and further on edge at the same time. They serve to reveal his closeness to me, but also set the mood for this conversation as an obviously unpleasant one. Swallowing hard, my eyes graze the rocky surface before me, pointless thoughts flitting around as I await his next words.

I chose not to respond, thinking anything I had to say would be useless in the face of what he was about to reveal. I can feel the air around us displace to make room for him as he eats up some of the distance separating us, his nearing warmth helps to soothe a bit of my nerves.

"They would do anything…" His hesitance shoots a pang through my heart, "…anything, to be rid of it."

I hear a shuddering breath escape him from behind me, and it pains me to sense his own pain. But knowing he wanted to share this with me, I want to help him get this off his mind…To shoulder some of his pain alongside him.

"What did they do here?" I ask straightly, bracing myself for the horrors I knew were about to be unveiled about this small alcove we stood within.

"Pray…" I want to slump my shoulders in relief, but somehow I can tell that's not all, so I refrain. "Mostly with words…but sometimes, with blood."

Ice runs through my veins upon hearing that, knowing that he's talking of sacrifice. I don't attempt to differentiate which kind, not knowing if I could stomach the truth, no matter what it was. But then I'm struck by the thought of them hurting him.

"Did they…hurt you?" I question meekly, my voice feeling so small inside my throat.

"Too afraid…they prayed for the Blue Dragon to disappear…" My fingers clench into the fabric at my chest, willing the throbbing beneath to cease. "…So I did."

A wave of despair flows over me.

Knowing that Mielė had to go through carrying the burden of his village's actions all on his own. I can tell, by the shame that drips from his voice, that he blames himself for what they've done. As if what those imbeciles chose to do reflected on him as a person, for being born the way that he was.

And that only fueled a fire, burning hatred for the people who chose to alienate this magnificent man for their own ignorance and intolerance. It disgusted me, it made my anger for them grow beyond what it already was. Those selfish humans know nothing but to take, take what doesn't belong to them over some self imposed sense of right. They took from innocents, they took from me, and they took from the Blue Dragon most of all.

They took his self worth, his sense of meaning, they took everything from him and I would never be able to forgive them for it.

I didn't realize until I could tase the salt on my lips that tears rained down my skin. Tears of distress, empathy and frustration all pooled together in a streaky mess along my cheeks. A heaving breath, bordering on a hitched sob breaks free, but I smother any more that attempt to follow.

Mielė-sama was entrusting this with me, and I would not let him regret it. I will stand strong and comfort him. So saying, I steeled my shoulders and turned to face the blue haired man. I knew exactly when he caught sight of my distress because he bowed his head despondently, but I didn't allow for that to stick.

"Thank you," The words had him springing up to look at me, and I held that contact. My hand reached forward to entwine with his, squeezing subtly. "I don't imagine that was easy to share, and you'll never realize how much the fact that you did so means to me."

My heart warms when I feel his fingers tighten gently around mine in return.

As my eyes trace along the mask that rests on his face, I realize that I want to open up to him. I want him to know about me just as he's letting me know about him. He may not say his past in so many words, but what remains unsaid is written on his skin and I can read it so easily. I want him to have that with me, to find solace in each other's brokenness.

Gently, I reach my free hand up to his face, gripping the barrier between us and pushing it away. He doesn't stop me, doesn't flinch or tense, and that makes me brim with pride knowing that he trusts me that much.

When his piecing gaze, glowing in the dimness of the room, meets my own. I latch onto that contact, using it as a brace to unravel myself before him.

And then I'm opening my mouth…

 **Sorry it's kind of short guys. I've been swamped and writing this in pieces whenever I can, so when I finally got a decent chunk done, I wanted to share it with you all immediately. I know it's kind of a cliff hanger, but I won't leave you guys hanging for long, I promise! I've got most of the next part written out. Let me know what you guys think in a review!**


End file.
